Bischöfliches Konvikt – Avelsbacher Herrenberg Riesling, dry, 1981

Bischöfliches Konvikt – Avelsbacher Herrenberg Riesling dry 1981

The 1981 Avelsbacher Herrenberg Dry Riesling comes from the Episcopal Seminary in Trier, one of the three historic ecclesiastical estates that were merged in 1966 to form the current administration of the Episcopal Vineyards of Trier. The Seminary itself was founded in 1840 as a training centre for prospective priests and, for decades, cultivated its own vineyards on the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer.

The Avelsbacher Herrenberg vineyard is situated in the Avelsbach district of Trier. The vineyards there benefit from the region’s characteristic slate soils and produce elegant, mineral-driven Rieslings. The 1981 vintage is regarded in Germany as good, though not outstanding: a mild spring and frost damage were followed by a warm, dry summer, which allowed for healthy grapes. The best wines – particularly from prime sites – developed into elegant, long-lived Rieslings.

Dry vinification was not yet the norm in the early 1980s and lends the wine a clear, taut structure. After more than four decades of bottle ageing, such bottles are among the interesting historical rarities held by the Episcopal Vineyards. Well-preserved bottles often display the typical development of mature Trier Rieslings: smoky, mineral notes, delicate tertiary aromas and an acidity that remains present and lively.

The Episcopal Seminary and the subsequent Episcopal Vineyards of Trier stand for the preservation of traditional steep-slope viticulture. The 1981 Avelsbacher Herrenberg Riesling dry is a silent testament to this history – a wine that reflects its origin, its era and the distinctive character of the vineyards around Trier.